Xavier Gerard is one of the most exciting young winemakers working in the Northern Rhône. He is a young grower who took over his family's small domaine in earnest in 2012 and in no time has turned out incredibly elegant and traditionally made Syrahs and Viogniers.

From a beautiful new northern site of Saint-Joseph on beautiful granitic soil. A small allocation in 2023, so grab it now before it gets snapped up soonest!

From an outstanding northern vineyard site of Saint-Joseph on beaitiful granitic soil, shared with Pierre Jean Villa. This wine is the geeks secret. We have a little more allocation in 2023, so grab it now before it gets snapped up soonest.

Xavier Gerard's baby Condrieu made from Viognier from Vérin, above Condrieu. 80% steel vat, 20% 300-litre & 600-litre oak cask fermented at 15°C, raised 6-8 months away from its lees in 22 hl large barrel & steel vat, malo usually blocked, first wine 2006 (600-litre cask, the oaked part of it, malo not completed) yellow colour; pear, apricot feature in a bouquet that is nicely funnelled. There’s a good run of spiced fruits along the palate. That carries a nice bit of weight, nice detail.

100% Gamay (mid-1980s now grubbed up), from galet stone on red-brown clay soils at 350 metres at Givors, 50-100% destemmed, 15-16 day vinification, a little pumping over, then cap punching, aged 1-6 year 228-litre casks 12 months, unfined. 2023 is the very last vintage produced of this lovely, unique take on Gamay from Givors. Grab it while you can, it's a great vintage and shall last 10-15 years (as is usual). A real charmer. Wine to enjoy with friends. Dark red, purple tints; has a strawberry jam aroma. This has a good, firm attack, holds dark red, mulberry fruit with life in it, and a late saline note. There’s crunch in the tannins (this is 50% whole bunch) and it’s very drinkable, shows a touch of late power, is good for la table. Its length sustains on red fruit, raspberry, is good and upbeat.

M 3.0 Le Mauzac is a traditional method sparkling wine with no added sugar at any of the 3 stages of production. The only thing fermented and added (twice more) is organic Mauzac juice. This cuvée is without doubt the finest representation of Limoux's indigenous grape variety. First planted by the Romans, it is particularly well adapted to the climate and requires much less water than Chardonnay. This pure Mauzac has been aged for 36 months in bottle, then disgorged. It is a particularly impressive and very elegant take with fine, persistent bubbles. A real 'wow' that you NEED to know about. "A remarkable balance is revealed on the palate between a full, mellow body, fine tension and the freshness of the fruit, with the added bonus of a long finish of green apples that is the hallmark of Mauzac." Two Stars in Guide Hachette 2025

Pale gold coloured wine with light green reflections. Elegant and precise nose of white peach, pear and then honey and pine kernel. Pure and flavourful palate with a contrasted balance between Mediterranean roundness and fresh finale. 100% Clairette Rose whole-bunch pressed, from sandy, galet stone soils on Pignan (N-E, 0.8 hectare, 1979-80) & Bédines (N-E, 0.2 hectare, 1982, 1984), Saintes Georges (N-E, 0.2 hectare, 1960s), 50% steel vat, 50% 1-year 228-litre oak cask fermented at up to 17.5°C, raised 5-6 months, 1-2 lees stirrings a week, malo blocked, 1,000 bottles only.

Outstanding Chianti Classico Riserva from the cooler north west of Chianti. Grown on soils very similar to Felsina's vineyards in Berardenga, this cooler terroir in Argiano helps produce a wine of great energy, elegance and inherent harmony. La Vigna di San Martino ad Argiano is the personal project of Giampaolo Chiettini. Giampaolo spent a good number of years working alongside Paolo di Marchi at Isole e Olena where he fell deeply in love with Sangiovese and honed his skills and became a very highly regarded winemaker of the region. Antinori and Ca' del Bosco have also used Giampaolo's services over the years. He still consults and makes wine for the outstanding Castagnoli and brilliant newcomers Ejamu amongst others. This personal project comes from a beautiful, tiny (1ha!) vineyard in Argiano in the San Casciano Val di Pesa commune. Organic Sangiovese grapes are destemmed and gently crushed then undergo wild fermentation with natural yeasts. The wine is bred in used tonneaux. Giampaolo's trained, light hand in the cellar has helped produce a really rather wonderful Chianti Classico Riserva. This 2022 knocked us out. Immense energy and focus to the wonderful fruit and character. Only 2,000 bottles produced. This wine proves utterly marvellous drinking now, but shall age gracefully and beautifully for many years. We can't wait to follow the evolution! "The 2022 Chianti Classico Riserva is an intense, brooding wine. Super-ripe cherry, tobacco, new leather blood orange and cinnamon lend an exotic flair. This complex, dynamic Riserva has a ton to offer, starting with its considerable character. It's one of the most pleasant surprises of my tastings for this report. The Riserva is on the riper side of things, but its personality is so distinctive". Antonio Galloni July 2025 Drinking Window 2025 - 2034 91/100

This wine shows that old dogs can be taught new tricks. Murrieta is about as traditional as they come in Rioja yet Dalmau is ultra modern. The nose is defined by deep ripe black fruit with hints of black spices, balsamic and mineral aromas. Full-bodied, juicy tannins and endless spicy finish. Powerful, round and solid. “A Dalmau with strong character, more concentrated and expressive compared to its predecessors” Maria Vargas - Technical Director. To speak about Dalmau is to speak about Canajas, a unique single vineyard within our 741-acre (300-hectare) Ygay Estate. The vines in that vineyard are more than 60 years old and are located at 465 meters altitude. Long maceration during fermentation, ageing in new French oak barrels and very limited production characterize the wine. This modern Rioja wine made from Tempranillo, Cabernet Sauvignon and Graciano perfectly reflects the innovations taking place at Marqués de Murrieta. The Cebrián-Sagarriga family, who in 1983 acquired the winery, established in 1852, has a distinct winemaking philosophy that is founded in the pursuit of quality and excellence through tradition and innovation. Scores: GUÍA GOURMETS (SPA): 99 POINTS. GUÍA PROENSA (SPA): 99 POINTS. WINE ENTHUSIAST (USA): 98 POINTS. JAMES SUCKLING (USA): 97 POINTS. TIM ATKIN (UK): 97 POINTS. GUÍA PEÑIN (SPA): 96 POINTS. GUÍA ABC (SPA): 95 POINTS. ROBERT PARKER (USA): 95 POINTS. WINE SPECTATOR (USA): 93 POINTS.

50% Muscat d'Alexandre and 50% Muscat a Petit Grains fermented on skins. "Light orange in colour, this blend of two Muscats (Petit Grains and Alexandria macerated for 14 days) is fragrant and perfectly pitched, with gorgeous notes of orange peel, dried leaves, apricot and mango. It's so well balanced, being both floral and a little rusty and leafy. The palate is concentrated, with really good presence and a long, spicy, cumin-infused finish. It's still fruity enough not to be overtly savoury, but also not massively flowery and exotic. It's so spicy! This has good tension, no flab, it's all tucked in, with a good solid chalky grip". 95/100 Natalie Earl in Decanter Magazine Drinking Window: 2025 - 2029

Sixth generation Francoise Antech has taken this excellent producer to even greater heights, championing the Limoux region and Mauzac grape variety around the globe. The UK is the family's largest market , now looked after by seventh generation Baptiste. This is the first priced wine in a range of their Blanquettes and Cremants that we recommend. Blanquette de Limoux has a claim to being one of the world's oldest sparkling wines, with legend dating its creation to 1531.

Strawberries and blackberries aromas slowly rise out of the glass. Overtime, more of the anise and clove will mix with these other aromas. Currently, the wine is young with mouth filling intensity and suppleness. Complexity will increase as the wine ages, but this wine should stay "fresh" for 6 or 7 years. In its youth, match this wine with lamb or dried meats. After a few years, as the flavors coalesce, it will pair better with salmon or mild red sauce with pasta.

Light gold hue and a fine, delicate mousse. Aromas of lemon sherbet and honeysuckle lead into fresh pastry and vanilla characters. The palate is rounded and soft, offering generous yet elegant notes of green apple, lemon zest, orange blossom, and chamomile, with a touch of baked hazelnut. A subtle minerality accentuates the fresh, crisp acidity, leading to a long and complex finish.

Pale gold in colour with very fine bubbles. Intense aromas of raspberry, red apple skin and rose petal. The textured palate is both vibrant yet refined, revealing layers of orange zest, raspberry, apricot and marzipan. Opulent fruit and complex biscuit characters persist in a long, mouth watering finish. "12% alcohol. This is from a single plot, 73% Pinot Noir and 23% Chardonnay, on greensand soils in Sussex. This is so refined, nuanced and delicate with beautiful cherry and citrus fruit with a sense of finesse. There’s nice concentration, fine acidity and a beautiful focus to the fruit with fabulous length and elegance. Finishes with finely spiced red cherry fruit, and the fine acid line on the finish just keeps going on. Still quite taut and primary, this has a bright future ahead of it". 95/100 Jamie Goode wineanorak.com

For price to quality ratio, this is an astonishing bottling, being produced from the perimeter rows of their two cru vineyards, Cerretta and Gianetto. Gorgeous, almost weightless nose of violets, plums, pot pourri and dried mushrooms. It floats across the palate, with stunning length fine-boned tannins. These are Barolo for the ages. These are like fine, restrained Burgundies, that at first nosing and taste, you could miss, but give them the time they need, and they are glorious, with the classical Serralunga terroir nose of roses and minerals. Sharing vineyards with Giacomo Conterno and Altare, their cellar is located between their two cru sites, Ceretta and Gianetto. They farm organically, but as the sites both border non-organic neighbouring vineyards, they do not declare it. All wines are vinifed and aged in the same way so as to best express their identity and terroir. "Serralunga d'Alba. Mid ruby. Subdued with sweet-spice notes. Ripe, mouth-filling fruit with plenty of succulent acidity and bags of powdery tannins. Hedonistic". 16.5/20 Walter Speller on jancisrobinson.com

Duncan Savage matriculated at Rondebosch Boys High School in 1995. In 2016. Savage Wines was set up in the heart of Cape Town in Salt River. Vineyards for his wines are leased and grapes sourced from around the Western Cape, maritime in nature where possible. Granitic soil is the focus. "This blend of 76% Sauvignon Blanc and 24% Sémillon, matured in 20% new oak, offers a complex bouquet with beeswax, wild mint, and fennel. The Sémillon beautifully complements the Sauvignon Blanc, and the palate is well-balanced with acidity and impressive weight. The pretty, floral finish makes this a standout wine from the vintage". 93/100 Vinous Neil Martn

Duncan Savage matriculated at Rondebosch Boys High School in 1995. In 2016. Savage Wines was set up in the heart of Cape Town in Salt River. Vineyards for his wines are leased and grapes sourced from around the Western Cape, maritime in nature where possible. Granitic soil is the focus. Sourced from a wind-exposed site in Polkadraai on granitic soils, this blend spends two years aging—first in old 500-liter barrels and then in foudres and conical tanks. The bouquet expresses brambly red fruit and light tertiary scents, while the medium-bodied palate offers a pliant entry, with white pepper and fennel spices lifting the finish. A sophisticated, harmonious wine of wonder. 94/100 Vinous Neil Martin

Duncan Savage matriculated at Rondebosch Boys High School in 1995. In 2016. Savage Wines was set up in the heart of Cape Town in Salt River. Vineyards for his wines are leased and grapes sourced from around the Western Cape, maritime in nature where possible. Granitic soil is the focus.

Something different. 100% Sangiovese from two high altitude sites (at Radda and Lamole). The grapes are picked late to get maximum ripeness from these beautiful high-lying vineyards. Fermented in cement tanks with 20% whole bunches. The long maceration of 4 months gives the wine a wonderful lifted fruit character, which differentiates it from the more classic styles. The Wine Advocate:cWith its elegant white wax capsule, the Tenuta di Carleone 2022 ‘Il Guercio’ is partially made with feet-stomped Sangiovese (and up to 50% whole-cluster fruit) sourced from the village of Lamole, with its verdant vineyard landscapes and high elevations. This IGT red is balanced and bright with a lean consistency. The fruit tones are presented with good intensity and layered nuance. You get some of the bitter flavours from the skins (from extended maceration), red apple, wild herb, blue flower and crushed stone. Drink now-2035. 95 points Vinous: The 2022 Il Guercio is laced with hints of wild cherry, kirsch, dried flowers, mint and white pepper. High-toned aromatics remind me of Gianfranco Soldera’s Brunellos, This ethereal, gracious pure Sangiovese needs time in bottle to come together. It is undeniably attractive. Drink now-2037. 94 points

A selection of the finest fruit from several vineyards around Radda in Chianti. Macerated for 60 days in concrete and steel. (The long macerations actually help to make the wine more approachable in youth. After extraction, the tannins begin to elongate. The result is something very age worthy that is still approachable now). Then aged for 18 months in French and Austrian oak barrels. Extremely fine and elegant. The 2021 also celebrates 30 years since the arrival of Sean in Tuscany. Vinous: The 2021 Uno (Sangiovese) is a gorgeous, super-classic red from Sean O'Callaghan. Readers will have to be patient with the 2021, as it is a driving, structured wine, its mid-weight structure notwithstanding. The Uno is a fine example of a style and approach very much inspired by the wines of Burgundy. Drink now-2036. 95 points Jancis Robinson MW: Full, juicy and grippy. Not ready but should turn into something distinctive and special. Drink 2027-2040. 17.5+ points The Wine Advocate: The 2021 Uno shows a medium-dark garnet appearance with pretty colour saturation. This is 100% Sangiovese with fruit sourced from the village of Radda. There is a slightly wild side to the bouquet with fresh iris, pressed rose and cassis. Uno does a great job of bringing out both the delicate fruit tones and the floral side of the grape. Its texture is silky, long and polished. Drink now-2036. 94 points

Billecart-Salmon's exceptional prestige cuvée was created in 1964 as a tribute to the House’s co-founder Nicolas-François Billecart who married Elisabeth Salmon in 1818. The 17% maturation in 15 year-old traditional oak barrels underpins the generous character of this fine, elegant and rich champagne. The 2012 weather has been hallmarked by many as very challenging but has created some stunning Champagne. Relatively low yields due to various weather conditions throughout the year. The winter months brought some frosts and hail which damaged the early stages of bud burst. August and September were very warm and this helped rescue and give the grapes a stunning maturity. "The 2012 Brut Cuvée Nicolas François Billecart shows all the natural radiance of the year. There's gorgeous resonance and texture here. Apricot, spice, tangerine oil and lightly honeyed notes infuse the palate with notable depth and persistence. This rich, expansive Champage has a ton to offer. This release was disgorged nearly two years ago, which also adds to its complexity." - Tasting note by Antonio Galloni

Simon Coulshaw makes natural wines: no cultured yeast, enzymes, chemical tannins or fining product and farming with respect to the environment, although the domaine isn't certified organic.

Davide Bottai is the fourth generation to produce wine at Castellaccio, an eleven hectare estate that historically sold its grapes as bulk. Even before Davide’s recent transformational changes, the winery was already a pioneer, having converted to organic farming in 2013 at the behest of his grandfather and the previous management team. The vineyards are all high elevation for the Chianti Classico DOCG, all between 500m and 700m above sea level where sandstone and quartz dominate the soils. The eleven hectares are split between Lamole and Lucolena, including some of the highest vineyard sites, and, THE very highest vineyard site in all of Chianti Classico. All of the beautiful fruit from these outstanding, unsung and nearly-forgotten terroirs see wild fermentation in concrete before aging in various vessels - 25hl, tonneau or untoasted Burgundy barrels. The Coste di Felice 2024 sees fruit from vineyards in both Lamole and Lucolena - organic, 100% Sangiovese. The grapes are hand harvested. Grapes are sorted further and softly crushed. The wine sees a natural, wild ferment in cement tank, and after completion, is run off to large old botti (wooden cask} to age for 12 months before bottling. The wine rests for a further 6 months in bottle before release. "For me, this 2024 is a masterpiece" Davide Bottai on Chianti Classico DOCG Coste de Felice 2024, March 2026. Wow! What gloriously pure aromas of orange zest and flowers backed up by red fruit and savoury elements. Simply glorious spring time stuff. On the palate, the attack is a similar injection of bright red fruits - so pure and seamless - until the pitch-perfect acidity, wonderful bitter notes and glorious rasp of beautifully done Sangiovese tannins kick in. This is energetic, salty, mineral wine of the highest order.

Davide Bottai is the fourth generation to produce wine at Castellaccio, an eleven hectare estate that historically sold its grapes as bulk. Even before Davide’s recent transformational changes, the winery was already a pioneer, having converted to organic farming in 2013 at the behest of his grandfather and the previous management team. The vineyards are all high elevation for the Chianti Classico DOCG, all between 500m and 700m above sea level where sandstone and quartz dominate the soils. The eleven hectares are split between Lamole and Lucolena, including some of the highest vineyard sites, and, THE very highest vineyard site in all of Chianti Classico. All of the beautiful fruit from these outstanding, unsung and nearly-forgotten terroirs see wild fermentation in concrete before aging in various vessels - 25hl, tonneau or untoasted Burgundy barrels. A unique expression of Sangiovese - a wine that is direct, with great tension and a vertebral column. Coming from the northeast slope of Lucolena, the "Lama della Rinascita" produces the most lively Sangiovese of the vintage totalling only 600 bottles (as single tonneau). This is the coolest, wettest microclimate of all of Castellaccio’s sites that brings a wine of sharp focus, a great mineral, saline profile. A wine of rock, where crisp red fruit dances with electric tension - a pure vision of Sangiovese from Lucolena magnificently realised.